Panama City is having a moment this year, thanks to the centennial of its famed canal and the transformation of the 1917 neoclassical headquarters of the American Trade Developing Company, in the leafy UNESCO World Heritage neighborhood of Casco Viejo, into a hotel.

If Koreatown is L.A.’s latest nightlife playground, then The Line—a 388-room high-rise on a bustling stretch of Wilshire Boulevard—is its clubhouse. A wallet-friendly nexus for everything people love about the gritty but cool district, The Line has two restaurants from native son Roy Choi (of famed Kogi BBQ); a karaoke lounge cum cocktail den, Speek; a boutique, Poketo; and complimentary Linus bikes, which are a fun, easy way to check out the city’s sprawling urban maze.

Even though Greenwich Village's dive bars have now become cupcake shops, you can still feel the old bohemianism at The Marlton. Just one block north of Washington Square Park and a few blocks from SoHo, The Marlton reflects the charm and intimate scale of its neighborhood.

In 2005, when Belgian expat Juan van Wassenhove discovered Zhizhusi—a mid-eighteenth-century Buddhist temple in a Beijing back alley—it was on the verge of complete decay. When I arrived last November, I found a complex of eight guest rooms, an acclaimed French restaurant, an art gallery, and Gathered Sky, the only James Turrell “Skyspace” installation in China: not bad for a little over $300 per night in an increasingly pricey city.

In 2005, when Belgian expat Juan van Wassenhove discovered Zhizhusi—a mid-eighteenth-century Buddhist temple in a Beijing back alley—it was on the verge of complete decay. Now, it's a complex of eight guest rooms, an acclaimed French restaurant, an art gallery, and Gathered Sky, the only James Turrell “Skyspace” installation in China: not bad for a little over $300 per night in an increasingly pricey city. All the decor is a mix of old and new. In the Imperial Suite, mid-­century sofas and lighting by Ingo Maurer complement Qing dynasty–era wood ceilings. Breakfast can be served in your room in a custom-made tilan (similar to a bento box). And on Sunday evenings, join other guests (and paying visitors) in the open-roofed Skyspace to watch the sun set—you can even hear birdsong if you’re quiet, a priceless moment in clamorous Beijing. –Noah Sheldon